Wildfire Fighting Costs Surge in Oregon

From taxes on nicotine to hotel rooms, states are looking for ways to pay the skyrocketing bill. This story was originally published by High Country News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Oregonians buying nicotine pouches like Zyn and Rogue were met with a surprise at the cash register starting this year. Each tin had a new 65-cent tax on it, meant to bolster funding for the state’s wildfire reduction efforts. Wildfires burned more than 1.9 million acres in Oregon in 2024. By the time they finally died down at the end of October, the state had spent more than $350 million fighting them, greatly exceeding the $10 million it had allocated. “By July 21, I had already completely blown through my cash on hand,” said Kyle Williams, Oregon Department of Forestry’s deputy director for fire operations. Contractors weren’t promptly paid for services they’d already provided, from digging fuel breaks to supplying meals, and the state had to hold an emergency legislative session to allocate the money. That summer highlighted the flaws in how the state funds both firefighting and the preventive work that reduces the chances of large, destructive blazes in the first place. Yes, even most unexpected landscapes in the US can and will burn This year, as drought and a devastating snowpack stack up across the West, officials are bracing for what could be a challenging fire season. The Supreme Court broke democracy by saying the quiet part out loud A decades-long plan to abolish the Electoral College may finally pay off The backlash to Billie Eilish’s vegan comments explains a lot about the American left (and everyone else) Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword How a “super El Niño” could create record-breaking warming This is the title for the native ad El Niño is coming. And its impacts may last far longer than it does. What you didn’t know about Mennonites, soy, and Bolivia. The link between gun sales and conservation, explained. The cognitive trap that’s making us underestimate the Iran crisis. Coal’s century at the top of the world’s power mix is over. The enormous environmental toll of meat and dairy, explained in 8 charts. This is the title for the native ad